Tangled Web
by reminiscent-afterthought
Summary: AU. They never knew of the other's existence, till a case of mistaken identity converges their paths. Two identical twin boys struggle to free themselves from the tangled web of deceit, confusion...and blood coated ice.
1. Grand Opening

**Author's Notes**

Another idea I dug out from somewhere, and I kinda like the idea. So I figured, why not? Some other fics are nearing completion, so that opened the floor a little.

Setagaya neighbours Shibuya, so assuming there is no ice-skating ring in Shibuya, Setagaya, being way larger, would be more convenient.

By the way, the first arc focuses on Koichi, Zoe, and someone else, though JP is vaguely mentioned. Koji shows up in the second arc, as does Takuya, and I'm not sure about the others. But JP gets a bigger role later on. And a better role too.

And right now, it isn't Kouizumi, or any other pairings for that matter. And I actually don't know how it's going to end up. Haven't really thought about the pairings yet.

The first segment takes place during summer, and the school holidays, but the actual opening takes place after school opens, and in Autumn.

Zoe's mother and father are, to my knowledge, never named, so I've called her mother Adelina, and her father, Hideaki. I've made her mother Italian, and her father Japanese, so she's half-half. Both speak both languages fluently, and all three use a little Italian when speaking to each other. When Zoe gets excited, she'll talk to Koichi to Italian too.

Dai is an OC, and there's alot more to him than meets the eye, I'll say that now. He's a very important character.

That's it I think, so enjoy, and tell me what you think. Italian translations are at the end as per usual.

* * *

**Tangled Web**

AU. They never knew of the other's existence, till a case of mistaken identity converges their paths. Two identical twin boys struggle to free themselves from the tangled web of deceit, confusion...and blood coated ice.

Kouichi K/Koichi & Kouji M/Koji

Rating: T

Genre/s: Drama

* * *

**Chapter 1 – Grand Opening**

'Guess what! Mum's opening up an ice-skating ring!'

'That's a good idea. It will save a lot of people the hassle of travelling out to Setagaya.'

'That's the idea. Mum loves ice-skating, and she's finally become bored of being a house wife. She's offering classes too, and demonstrations.'

'I take it she asked you to demonstrate?'

'Yeah, every Sunday. But how'd you guess?

'After spending four years with someone you tend to learn a bit about them.'

'True, but I think you've learnt a bit more than a "bit"'.

The two friends shared a laugh. They were certainly an odd pair, a true impersonation of the cliché "opposites attract" had they regarded each other as anything less than a brother/sister pair.

They'd met back in elementary school, and had immediately become fast friends. The slightly elder male had spent a few years there already, but he kept apart from other classmates. Jealousy on the part of others had a role to play; he was certainly more intelligent than others his age and it showed from the start, but he himself didn't appear wholly bothered by the lack of company. In a way, he didn't mind the silence; he chose it at much as it was forced upon him. He did, after all, make no real effort to reach out, and so the indestructible barrier rose.

And then she came, moving back from Italy after a five year stay. She was immediately outcasted by most classmates, because she was different. She could speak Japanese, but barely, and her voice was heavily accented as she had grown up speaking Italian. Her looks did not fit the Asian stereotype; blonde hair and green eyes were a rare combination in Japan. And her conduct too didn't fit the norm, but her sunny personality didn't let that all get her down. So the majority didn't want anything to do with her, so what? She'd just look towards the minority.

And though it then was a single boy, working quietly away at his own corner, she did so, and as though fate itself had strung the two together, they became fast friends after jumping a few hurdles along the way, united by their differences, and their similarities.

Zoe Orimoto's grin was still etched upon her face as she continued explaining the new ring.

'It's a large stadium, taking up the empty look across from the Tsukino's place. They'll start building soon, and hopefully it'll be open by fall.'

'That's not a lot of time,' the other, Koichi Kimura, pointed out.

The blonde grinned impishly. 'Let's just say the builders are just as excited as the rest of the district.'

'I don't think I want to know how you mother managed to convince them.'

'It was nothing bad if that's what you mean.'

'Not at all, but under that pretty face, your mother's got a wicked sense of humour.'

Zoe paused slightly, before laughing again. 'You rarely use the word "wicked",' she commented. 'Why now?'

Koichi shrugged.

'Besides, Dad's got connections. That's how he made it happen so fast. But...'

The black-haired boy noticed the pause. 'Is something wrong?' he asked, when the other didn't pick up her statement.

She slowly nodded, before shaking her head. 'Don't get me wrong,' she explained, noting the confused look at her indecision, and needing to explain to her best (and currently only) Japanese friend, if one chose not to consider the seventh grader who had suddenly developed a lasting crush on her a few months ago during the previous school year. 'I love ice-skating, it's just that...Mum wants me to demonstrate with a partner. The son of an old work associate with her.'

Blue eyes blinked slightly. 'Is that a problem?' he asked, concerned at the blonde's tone.

'Sort of,' she admitted. 'I don't particularly like him. He's a little...obsessive.'

'Obsessive?'

'Possessive too. It's just unnerving. He likes t be the one in control, and he gets a little bad tempered when things don't go his way. But he's a really sweet guy deep down. I always feel like I haven't given him enough of a chance.'

The other just listened slowly as his female friend talked. Things were better that way; one talked, the other listened, and when in need of comfort, comforted, and then afterwards gave advice if in such a position too and needed.

She gave a little laugh. 'Maybe I'm being silly,' she giggled. 'I'm not exactly the most patient person in the world. It's too easy to get under my skin. Well...unless you happen to be dark, mysterious, handsome and too gentle to get mad.'

She laughed harder at the embarrassed look on the other's face. 'You're too modest Koichi,' she teased, before becoming serious again. 'I'm also afraid of making a fool of myself and ruining Mum's dream.'

This time, Koichi pulled her closer, gently pulling the crisp, dry leaves of summer from her long hair. 'You won't make a fool of yourself,' he whispered gently. 'You love skating too, don't you?'

'Yeah...but I've never had to skate in front of an audience before. I've only skated in front of my parents, and you.'

'Your parent's will be watching.'

'I know...'

'Would it make you feel better if I came too?'

Zoe immediately perked up. 'Yeah it would,' she exclaimed, looking more cheerful already. 'Grazie mille! But what about when school starts?'

'What about it?' the other asked.

'Won't you need the time to study?'

He shrugged. 'Friends are more important than grades,' he explained, this time causing the blonde to blush. 'And I can study at other times.'

'True. And you could probably ace your tests without studying anyway.'

He flushed. 'That was once, and a fluke.'

She giggled at that one. 'Yeah, the test just _happened_ to be right up your alley way.'

'I didn't rig the test or anything like that.'

'I know _that_. Geeze, do you always have to take things so literally?'

He shrugged a bit. 'It's just the first thing that occurs to me.'

She smiled radiantly at him, before leaning back. 'It's one of the things that makes you _you_.'

'Oh pray tell, what are the others?'

'If I sat and listed them, we'll be here all night. And into the next night, and the one after that...'

'Till next millennia?' the dark-haired boy quipped, joining her. 'We are going to have a time getting these leaves and debris out of our hair and clothes.'

'True.' They both laughed again. 'And when winter rolls around, we'll be doing the same with snow.'

They lay in silence for awhile, just listening to a thrush singing above them. Then Zoe spoke again.

'I'm pretty lucky, aren't I?' she mused. 'I must be one of the few people in the world who get to see you laugh and smile and just act happy.'

'I don't deny it. But it works both ways.'

'I don't get you.'

'I'm lucky too, to have your sunny personality brightening my dull life.'

She swatted him. 'Oh you're not dull.'

'You call a nerd reading away in a dark corner not dull?' the other asked incredulously.

'Okay, maybe you did need a little brightening.' She thought for a moment, before adding something else. 'I thought nerds wore glasses?'

'Typical stereotype.'

'But you don't have.' She scrunched her face a little. 'Hmm, I don't think glasses suit you. You're fine the way you are.'

Koichi pulled himself up a little, then ticked her feet, causing her to squeal and curl up.

'Hey!' she exclaimed.

'You shouldn't scrunch up your pretty face,' he teased, before rolling away from a second swat.

'You know my feet are sensitive!' she exclaimed. 'You know what this means.'

He hurriedly rolled away.

'This means war!'

* * *

Despite Koichi's promise to be there on opening night, which had consequently been set for the first Saturday of Autumn, after classes finished, Zoe was on her last nerves as she heard the crowd in the stands.

She blinked at her 'uniform'. It was cute, that was for sure, and went great with her hair and eyes. The top was mostly white, sleeveless like a gymnast suit, but melded into a light lavender which became more concentrated around her waist. She wore a skirt over that, halfway up to her knees, a tad short but rather convenient as ice-skating went (after all, she didn't want to be tripping over the lengths of it, lavender and melting perfectly into the upper half of her body. She wore wrist guards, lavender as well, and as she fitted the skates onto her feet, she realised that the laces were the same colour. Obviously, her mother's work.

'Mum...' she whispered, staring at it, before slipping out of the more casual clothes and adorning it, looking herself in the full length mirror.

'See Zoe,' she told herself. 'You look beautiful. No go out there and make your parents proud.'

She took a deep breath, before walking carefully (as she had the skates on), to the platform, and waited.

'You nervous honey?' It was her father, smiling at her and waiting.

'Aren't you supposed to be up there with Mum?' she asked, taking in the tux.

He followed her sight, and grimaced. 'Adelina forced me into it.'

Zoe stifled a giggle at his disgruntled tone. 'Mum is very convincing, ne?'

'Si.'

They laughed at that; it was a trait that ran in the family. The stubbornness, as well as the easy laughter.

Then Hideaki smiled reassuringly at his daughter, patting her hair, now in a tight bun to avoid it flying into either her or her partner's face, being careful not to ruin the delicate work. 'You'll do fine,' he said softly.

And then he left her.

It wasn't long until the platform began to rise, and as she knew, the one on the other side rising as well. The floor opened up till she stood level with the ice, then she took another deep breath, quickly scanned the crowd, focused on a particular face, breathed again, and stepped onto the ice.

She'd done it many times; she loved it. It wasn't any different now, she told herself. Just ignore the people staring, just ignore the noise...

She glided over the thin sheets, one foot brought up to her knees while the other carrying her over the ice, swirling gently, and eventually, into the arms of her partner, switching techniques as he led her through their well practiced routine. Hand in hand, they skated, doing all the techniques they knew, starting simply and going progressively harder while making sure to keep in time with each other so they remained in sync.

They began with a simple demonstration, gliding together, her partner's hands as well as her own on her waist to maintain their balance their left legs arched back and they circled widely around the arena. A single lap, then they switched, spinning off in opposite directions before skating towards each other and crossing in a figure eight. Another repeat, then he picked her off the ground and spun while she balanced herself as weightlessly as possible on his palms.

They counted off the seconds in their heads, then he increased the speed and let go. At the same time, she arched her back and curled into the air, landing low and gracefully on both skates while spinning gently to absorb the slight momentum, circling around her partner, in earth brown, and gradually gaining height as she did so.

Then he took her into his hands again and they continued without a visible hitch.

* * *

They stepped off the ice together, having completed their first pair performance and succeeded in bringing down the house, so to speak. Adelina met them in the hallway, beaming radiantly, sweeping her daughter into a hug.

'You were magnifico,' she trilled. 'Honey, I'm so proud of you. Both of you,' she added, seeing the other boy hanging behind with a slightly sour look in his face.

'Sure, whatever,' he shrugged, before turning to his partner. 'Your timing was off.'

'It was not,' Zoe said indignantly. 'How much better can you hope for Dai?'

Dai just shrugged impassively, before slipping off, bumping into Koichi along the way but saying nothing.

Adelina smiled, and left the two friends alone.

The dark-haired boy examined the other's expression. 'Is something wrong?' he asked.

'Nothing really,' she sighed, calming herself. 'Dai just has a habit of getting me riled up.' She paused, before a sudden desire for an ice-cream sundae sprung into her mind. 'Want to go for ice-cream?' she asked. 'My treat.'

His face took on a red tinge, and he made sure to avoid staring at her attire, or any part of her other than her face really, before saying: 'Shouldn't you change first?'

She looked down at the clothes, before blushing herself. 'Yeah...I guess...I should.'

'I'll wait.'

'Okay.'

* * *

**Translations:**

Grazie mille – thank you so much

Magnifico – magnificent


	2. The Wind and the Weather

**Author's Notes**

Was originally supposed to be 42 chapters and now it's 12. All because I lost the plan and took forever remembering the main gist of it. As for the other 20 chapters…I've got no idea what was in them. They're gone. Wiped clean from my mind. And I've been trying to figure it out all year too.

Hopefully I'll update more often now, but how often depends on a variety of things: time, inspiration and feedback mostly. Please review; they really make my day...*insert grinny face here*

* * *

**Tangled Web**

AU. They never knew of the other's existence, till a case of mistaken identity converges their paths. Two identical twin boys struggle to free themselves from the tangled web of deceit, confusion...and blood coated ice.

Kouichi K/Koichi & Kouji M/Koji

Rating: T

Genre/s: Drama

* * *

**Chapter 2 – The Wind and the Weather**

'You should spend more time practicing,' Dai snapped at her as they both undid their laces. 'Then maybe you'd stop missing your cues.'

'My cues are fine,' Zoe shot right back with a fire kindling in her tone. 'And maybe if you weren't so uptight and stopped worrying about them, you'd move a little more smoothly.'

It was true. The other's movements did always seem to be a little strained. Almost as if he was constantly tense about something, and it was rather annoying when that disrupted her own rhythm. Maybe it was true that her cues were off when they performed before the lessons, but they seemed perfect every time she practiced.

It was increasingly frustrating for Dai to blame _her_ every time, especially when only her mother managed to pinpoint the weaknesses of their teamwork.

And she was frowning down upon the pair.

'Can you two just get along?' she half-snapped. 'Seriously, you're as stubborn as each other. Zoe, your cues _were_ off. Dai, you're looking more like a marionette doll than an ice skater, especially of late. It defeats the whole purpose.'

Zoe turned away, both a little stung and rather annoyed. 'I can't do anything about the cues if I'm dancing with a rigid ice statue,' she muttered under her breath, almost throwing the skate off. She didn't though; it was a pain trying to fix them if they broke.

Adelina frowned at her daughter, before taking both sets of skates and leaving with them as the pair laced up their laces. She was sick at the two of them arguing with one another, though she supposed it _was_ a little too much to hope that the two of them would be able to work together. They were both just too stubborn. But there weren't many people prepared to skate at the professional level. There weren't many people even ready to do it.

Besides, she had asked before considering her daughter would balk at the very idea. And it was a little too late.

She could almost see the brunette stalking right past her.

Hold on. She blinked, turning around from the locker. She _did_ see him stalking off.

And she couldn't help but sigh. She certainly knew where Zoe's temper came from, and sometimes she wished she was a little more patient herself, if only so she could have passed it on to her only child.

She wasn't too surprised to see Zoe stalking past a few minutes later.

'Be back by four!' she yelled after her, before making her way back to the ring. Thank goodness her husband was the one person in their family who hadn't inherited the famous Orimoto temper. And luckily she was an adult and not an adolescent. After all, it was partly her mistake. Some pairs of people just didn't work out. And when it came to her daughter, there were quite a lot.

Sometimes she wondered how Koichi managed to tolerate Zoe.

Probably the same way her dear husband tolerated her.

Speaking of, she'd better take some of the learners off his hands before he had a brain haemorrhage.

* * *

The blonde half-Italian grumbled as she walked at a face pace through the streets. No-one tried to stop her, mostly because they didn't really know her well enough to hail her for a conversation. At least none of her classmates were around. If someone started going on about her being a "snob" again she'd scream. Her parents didn't think that. Her mother did admit that she inherited her stubbornness from the older woman, but that wasn't snobbishness. And Koichi and his mother didn't think that either.

She felt like doing something. Something active. She picked up the pace till she was jogging through the streets and then around the park.

Several laps later, she was rather worn, and a little calmer. She was almost tempted to scowl and complain to the trees, but that would be rather childish…not to mention useless.

She also felt like scribbling up a storm…except she'd never managed to successfully do that. Writing was Koichi's forte, not hers.

A few more laps later, her heart decided it wouldn't move much further except at walking speed for water. The nearest supply that was, so she headed for the fountain. There were a few times when she had accidently sprayed herself with the water, much to the amusement of the onlookers at the time. Now she had figured out the mechanisms, and had to admit they were rather handy, especially as she drank her fill…slowly, as to not give herself a headache.

Then she sat under the shade of the tree, wiping her head…and stared at her lap. Where she was still wearing her skating outfit.

Oh brother. At least it was a little chillier now, so she had light tights on. _Very_ light, otherwise she'd be sweating bullets outside the ring, and she probably would have fainted from a heat stroke.

At least it wasn't windy, otherwise she'd have to worry about her skirt going up.

She sighed for a moment, before shuffling around a little to adjust herself better. The trunk was digging into her spine.

Somehow, that reminded her of herself and Dai. Their relationship had always been like that. And that somehow reminded her of their pair performances.

She wouldn't blame her mother if she _was_ disappointed with her. The anger simmered into a sort of sadness. That had been a part of her mother's dream, and she had enjoyed the idea too. But reality hadn't turned out like she had imagined it.

Perhaps she had thought somehow the two of them would have actually worked out as a team.

* * *

'You're late,' Adelina said as Zoe collapsed on the empty waiting couch in the reception area. Contrary to what the younger blonde had been expecting though, there was no hint of scolding in the tone. 'I suppose it really was too much to ask for you two to work together, wasn't it?'

'I'm sorry Mama,' the other mumbled, a little ashamed as she looked at her lap.

'There are always other things we can do,' the Italian pointed out. 'Teamwork shows more than an individual ever could, and it would have been a challenge for you, but you still need to find the right person. Someone you're compatible with. Just with everything in life.' She gazed down at her daughter, before crouching so they were eye level. 'That being said,' she cautioned. 'There _is_ give and take in every relationship. And understanding.'

At times like that, her mother could be very confusing.

'How do you know when to stop giving and receiving and just start giving up?' she asked. That part never made sense to her. 'How do you know when you've given up too much?'

'That's an adult's answer to a child's question,' Adelina replied. 'Sooner or later, you'll figure it out for yourself.'

Some people spent their entire life span without knowing the answer to that question. Some of those that got stuck in marriages that either broke up or were suppressive. Others figured it out pretty fast. She had a feeling that for her daughter, it would be either the first or the last.

'Speaking of your demonstrations,' Mrs Orimoto added after silence fell between the mother and daughter. 'You're supposed to be practicing now.'

And she handed the girl her skates.

* * *

Two hours later, she gave up. It was impossible to perfect her new move without the partner that she was supposed to do it with. And she couldn't well go ask her father; he was far too tall for one thing. She couldn't possibly jump that high.

And she said as much when Hideaki offered.

'That's true,' he agreed. 'But do you want to make that move work?'

'Of course I do,' the other replied, wiping her soaked bangs away from her eyes. 'I wouldn't be trying this long if I didn't.'

'And I see Dai isn't here, nor have you called him.'

She turned slightly, getting back into a slow spin. 'He won't be coming back. We've both had enough.'

She said it with such a tone of finality that no-one could _not_ believe her.

'I suppose it was too much to hope for both of you to work out.' He sighed. 'Why not ask your friend Koichi. He can skate, thanks to that grandmother of his.'

'Yeah, but he's working at the grocery store till six.'

The raven haired male laughed at that. 'Look at the time,' he said, pointing at the clock at the wall.

It was ten minutes past six.

'This isn't a way to set us up, is it?' she asked, slightly suspiciously as she looped over to the edge, remembering the time when they had been playing spin the problem and her father had stuck a magnet to the end of it, thus rigging he results.

'Trust me, I've given up on him being my son in law. He's just my plain old son.'

* * *

She rang the Kimura residence and somehow managed to catch her best friend (or surrogate brother, depending on who she was talking to) as he walked through his apartment door. He seemed a little tired, but had agreed without question.

As he pointed out, he wasn't tired of skating or talking with her. He was just tired of shelving vegetables.

She couldn't blame him. It did sound rather boring.

'Okay, I'm done,' Zoe panted finally, making her way over to the edge and sitting down so she could unlace her skates with Koichi following suit. 'I'll need to get used to all that spinning.'

'Me too,' the other agreed, working off one perfectly fitting skate and starting on the other. Knowing each other as long as they had, she wasn't too surprised Zoe knew his shoe size. After all, he'd taken off his sneakers at her doorstep on plenty of occasions over the years.

'You didn't spin half as much as me,' Zoe pointed out.

'Well, I haven't skated in more than a year,' Koichi pointed right back.

'True.' She got off her other skate before he managed to, having more experience. 'Well, me and Dai had a fight.'

It sort of came out, because Koichi knew full well she'd tell him without him needing to ask and _she_ knew he wouldn't ask and push her for an answer.

Koichi cocked his head slightly. That was his way of asking what was different this time.

The blonde laughed awkwardly. 'Okay, we're always arguing about something or other, but this time I kicked him out and he said he wasn't coming back.'

'I take it you're not sorry then.' The blue eyes regarded her carefully.

'Guilty,' Zoe replied slowly. 'But not sorry. No.'

'Guilty,' the other repeated. 'Not sorry. Interesting way of putting.'

'Hey, don't tease.' Counterfeit indignation.

A faux injured tone replied: 'I'm not.'

Zoe laughed at him. She couldn't help it. 'You get that tone right, but you can't do any other,' she chortled, before adopting a more serious tone. 'I seriously don't think it's ever going to work out, and neither of us can keep trying forever.'

'Now you're starting to sound like my Mum.' Koichi leaned back on his hands, staring up at the high ceiling. 'You find that some relationships fall apart no matter how hard you try, but once it's over you can't help but think that there was something more you could have done, something you could have given up or tried harder to do something, and then you're stuck wondering because there's no way to know.'

'That's some deep stuff,' the blonde commented, after dwelling thoughtfully on the words.

Koichi blushed ever so slightly. 'I was just paraphrasing,' he admitted. 'Mum says something like that every time the topic of the divorce comes up.' He looked a little uncomfortable with the topic but pressed on anyway. 'If anything, she doesn't want me to think it's anyone's fault. It just happened because they weren't meant to be with each other.'

The eyes gazing upwards had turned rather sad, but then he grinned suddenly.

'Grandma says Mum worries too much. She's about as stubborn as you and your mother.'

'What'd she do this time?' Zoe asked curiously.

'Apart from threatening to tape her to the bed with masking tape you mean?'

She swung for the spot an inch above his head with her skates. 'Sei un idiota.'

Then she slapped her hand on her forehead as the skates pointed the obvious out. 'I'm an idiot too.'

'Why?' Now Koichi was a little cautious. The other did tend to get wild ideas sometimes.

'You can be my skating partner!'

'Oh no,' he said immediately.

'Oh come on.' She put on a pouting face that she knew would make the other cave. 'It'll be perfect. You're not some stiff robot…'

'Gee thanks,' the other commented dryly, giving up shaking his head, seeing as Zoe wasn't looking at her.

'And we get along just great.' She was sounding rather cheerful. 'You watch me practice half the time anyway, and this way you can improve at your own skating too. How long did you spend again?'

'Uh…'

Zoe didn't give him a chance to remember, immediately pressing on.

'We can do the simpler stuff for a few weeks so you can get used to it all, and-'

'But-'

'-then Mum and I can show you some cooler stuff too. Not to mention you won't let me fall just to spite me.'

'That-'

'Seriously, he was lucky I landed on my feet, otherwise he'd have more than just a concussion…'

'Zo-'

'Mum!' Zoe hollered suddenly, spotting the petite female making her way towards them.

'Don't even bother,' Hideaki sighed, coming up behind his wife as Koichi tried to protest again. 'Between those two, it's a lost cause trying to argue.'

* * *

**Translations:**

Sei un idiota – You're an idiot.


End file.
